I met some of my good shooting friends at the local private gun range yesterday for a little practice. As a member of the club, I've got access (on a first-come, first-served basis) to a number of bays. You can drive your car down to the bays and park there, which is convenient. While it's a private club, you have folks there who are casual shooters at best, and we've learned through experience not to assume that membership implies competence.
We got our range bags out and followed protocol on un-bagging and holstering our firearms, with one or more of us supervising each other. I think everyone there was a certified range officer. You can't be too safe, ya know?
In the next bay, the one on the end, a white SUV pulled up, and 3 guys got out, one of them older than the other two. The older guy was the club member, it turns out. We didn't pay much attention, but commented to each other to keep an eye out, until we had a feel for their gun-handling skills.
We got a pretty good feel rather quickly.
Attending to our business, we heard a "bang," followed by some deafening silence. We looked over and saw 3 very surprised faces at the tailgate of the SUV. We asked if everyone was okay twice, with no response. I walked over, and asked again. They replied in the affirmative.
The guilty party was standing there with what looked like a Keltec POS in .22 or .25, and he said, "I was unloading the gun." I replied that he had certainly accomplished removing one round from the gun, so let's see what's left, safely. The mag was still in, so I instructed him to remove that, then show me a clear gun, then pull the trigger, then bag the gun.
I asked where the hole was, and he pointed to the deck that covers the spare tire, which likely suffered a mortal injury. I can only assume the gas tank wasn't punctured, too.
I actually had to explain to this club member that we don't handle firearms in our cars at this club. Use the safe area - there's consideration for people who don't know how to handle firearms there, so if you DO have an accidental/negligent discharge, it's in a controlled environment, and hopefully nobody or nothing gets perforated in the process.
I don't know what responsibility, if any, I have as a member of that club to tell this guy to put his stuff away and come back when he knew what he was doing, so I just urged him to do the right thing, mind his muzzle and trigger, and don't shoot any of us. If it had been me, I'd have been too embarrassed to stay, but unbelievably, he stayed. Not only that, but I saw him explaining gun safety to the 2 others with him.
Moral of the story? Rather than the obvious gun safety lesson which, no matter how many times is repeated, is lost on so many people, I'd rather provide this advice: any time you're at a gun range with other people you don't know (and sometimes, when you are), don't assume that you won't get shot. Some stupid people own firearms, and don't know the first thing about safety. They're not mean or malicious, they're just ignorant. This can create a very dangerous situation. Don't feel bad about ratting out bad gun discipline to the local range officers. Don't enable bad behaviors at the range.
Showing posts with label shooting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shooting. Show all posts
28 February 2010
21 June 2007
IDPA Rules Rant
We've been shooting USPSA for almost a couple of years now, after shooting IDPA for several years before that. Catfish and I have been discussing some aspects of matches for both sports, and from these discussions and my own personal observations, I've reached an inexorable conclusion: IDPA rules are silly.
Not all of them, mind you. The safety stuff goes without saying. I like the self-defense aspects of the sport, where you learn about tactical priority, use of cover, things of that nature. I like that the COF limits the round count, believe it or not - more people can shoot with real-life gear. There are many good things about the sport. So let me amend my original assertion: IDPA rules can be silly. Seriously, a sport that has a FTDR (Failure To Do Right) rule in addition to procedural penalties should raise more than a few eyebrows.
Where it all breaks down for me is when subjectivity is introduced to the rules, and by extension, to the courses of fire and the sport in general. Let's take the proper use of cover as a beginning example. The rules stipulate that 100% of your feet (I assume both of them), and 50% of your upper body must remain behind cover at all times. This sounds all fine and good, but it's typically a subjective call. Where does the upper body begin? Where is the Safety Officer positioned in relation to the shooter, in relation to cover, in relation to the target? I've seen the "cover" call made in some ridiculous situations, based solely on the whim of the SO on the stage. It's not so much that it's a silly rule, it's that it's subject to too many variables. Therefore, the evaluation of proper use of cover is subjective. How would you make it objective? Use a shooting box. Oops - they do that in USPSA, don't they? We can't have that, then.
Another example might be the infamous holster rule: no light should be visible between the holster and the shooter's belt/body. Unless you're a woman, of course. Then the whole thing is moot (AKA the "boobie rule"). I've had my holster both pass and fail inspections of this rule. The same holster, different matches, different observers - again, subjective. Don't get me started on what an "appropriate" cover garment might be - there are subjective rules for that, too. I believe USPSA does a fair job of defining legal and illegal equipment.
How about the ability (I'd even assert "requirement") of an IDPA COF designer to specify shooting positions, target engagement specifications, etc.? "Stand here, engage these 3 targets with 2 rounds each, move here, engage these targets in tactical sequence with 2 to the body, one to the head," etc. These sorts of things do nothing but generate endless questions (based on the confusion that this creates) from shooters about what they can and cannot do. In USPSA, most COF descriptions are something to the effect of "start at position A, and engage all targets as they become visible." 2 rounds on paper, knock the steel down. Easy. It puts the burden on the course designer, not the shooter, and removes ambiguity.
There are the downright silly rules, too. Tactical reloads, or reloads with retention. You must retain your magazine, unless you're at slide-lock, even if the magazine is empty. What a terrible habit to develop. Drop the empty mag, ram a full one in there, and get on with the gunfight. If you think you're gonna need those 2 bullets in the mag you just wasted 2 seconds stowing away, well, your gunfight priorities might be in the wrong place. No movement of more than 10 yards between any 2 points, because...wait, what? Isn't movement a fundamental tenet of defensive shooting?
I guess most of this discourse gets down to the old argument about whether IDPA is a game, or if it's some sort of training. Let's put it this way: you keep score. Any time you keep score, someone will want to find a way to win. That's all fine and good, but there are many in the sport that say this position flies in the face of the "spirit" of IDPA.
I've tried to chronograph this "spirit," but have yet to get a tangible reading. However, there are PLENTY of shooters who are willing to give us the benefit of their opinion on matters of "spirit" or "intent." I've seen all sorts of opinions up and down the spectrum, and most of them devolve into dogma based on intepretation of a rule. That's the important part: interpretation.
Yes, the sport has created fundamentalists of its own. How scary is that?
It's this sort of nonsense that gets generated whenever subjectivity is allowed to creep into a sport. Either you can measure it consistently, or you can't. Either it is, or it isn't. Either you do, or you don't. Everything should be a binary decision: yes or no, wrong or right, hit or miss. And those decisions should be repeatable, measurable, and finite for all involved, both competitor and adjudicator. Ambiguity leads to dissenting opinions, and opinions lead to arguments - every time. Heck, it doesn't even matter if the rule is stupid, as long as the rule is the same for everyone, and is measurable, repeatable, and finite.
Okay. I feel better now. Please use the comments to add to this discourse if you feel so inclined. Facts are welcomed, but silliness will be made fun of.
Not all of them, mind you. The safety stuff goes without saying. I like the self-defense aspects of the sport, where you learn about tactical priority, use of cover, things of that nature. I like that the COF limits the round count, believe it or not - more people can shoot with real-life gear. There are many good things about the sport. So let me amend my original assertion: IDPA rules can be silly. Seriously, a sport that has a FTDR (Failure To Do Right) rule in addition to procedural penalties should raise more than a few eyebrows.
Where it all breaks down for me is when subjectivity is introduced to the rules, and by extension, to the courses of fire and the sport in general. Let's take the proper use of cover as a beginning example. The rules stipulate that 100% of your feet (I assume both of them), and 50% of your upper body must remain behind cover at all times. This sounds all fine and good, but it's typically a subjective call. Where does the upper body begin? Where is the Safety Officer positioned in relation to the shooter, in relation to cover, in relation to the target? I've seen the "cover" call made in some ridiculous situations, based solely on the whim of the SO on the stage. It's not so much that it's a silly rule, it's that it's subject to too many variables. Therefore, the evaluation of proper use of cover is subjective. How would you make it objective? Use a shooting box. Oops - they do that in USPSA, don't they? We can't have that, then.
Another example might be the infamous holster rule: no light should be visible between the holster and the shooter's belt/body. Unless you're a woman, of course. Then the whole thing is moot (AKA the "boobie rule"). I've had my holster both pass and fail inspections of this rule. The same holster, different matches, different observers - again, subjective. Don't get me started on what an "appropriate" cover garment might be - there are subjective rules for that, too. I believe USPSA does a fair job of defining legal and illegal equipment.
How about the ability (I'd even assert "requirement") of an IDPA COF designer to specify shooting positions, target engagement specifications, etc.? "Stand here, engage these 3 targets with 2 rounds each, move here, engage these targets in tactical sequence with 2 to the body, one to the head," etc. These sorts of things do nothing but generate endless questions (based on the confusion that this creates) from shooters about what they can and cannot do. In USPSA, most COF descriptions are something to the effect of "start at position A, and engage all targets as they become visible." 2 rounds on paper, knock the steel down. Easy. It puts the burden on the course designer, not the shooter, and removes ambiguity.
There are the downright silly rules, too. Tactical reloads, or reloads with retention. You must retain your magazine, unless you're at slide-lock, even if the magazine is empty. What a terrible habit to develop. Drop the empty mag, ram a full one in there, and get on with the gunfight. If you think you're gonna need those 2 bullets in the mag you just wasted 2 seconds stowing away, well, your gunfight priorities might be in the wrong place. No movement of more than 10 yards between any 2 points, because...wait, what? Isn't movement a fundamental tenet of defensive shooting?
I guess most of this discourse gets down to the old argument about whether IDPA is a game, or if it's some sort of training. Let's put it this way: you keep score. Any time you keep score, someone will want to find a way to win. That's all fine and good, but there are many in the sport that say this position flies in the face of the "spirit" of IDPA.
I've tried to chronograph this "spirit," but have yet to get a tangible reading. However, there are PLENTY of shooters who are willing to give us the benefit of their opinion on matters of "spirit" or "intent." I've seen all sorts of opinions up and down the spectrum, and most of them devolve into dogma based on intepretation of a rule. That's the important part: interpretation.
Yes, the sport has created fundamentalists of its own. How scary is that?
It's this sort of nonsense that gets generated whenever subjectivity is allowed to creep into a sport. Either you can measure it consistently, or you can't. Either it is, or it isn't. Either you do, or you don't. Everything should be a binary decision: yes or no, wrong or right, hit or miss. And those decisions should be repeatable, measurable, and finite for all involved, both competitor and adjudicator. Ambiguity leads to dissenting opinions, and opinions lead to arguments - every time. Heck, it doesn't even matter if the rule is stupid, as long as the rule is the same for everyone, and is measurable, repeatable, and finite.
Okay. I feel better now. Please use the comments to add to this discourse if you feel so inclined. Facts are welcomed, but silliness will be made fun of.
15 June 2007
USPSA Area 4 2007
A few videos from the Area 4 Championship. Yes, actual shooting on our blog. Imagine that.
07 June 2007
Gone Fishin'
We're heading out to the USPSA Area 4 Championship in Shreveport, LA. I'm bringing a laptop, and assuming we have better than primitive conditions, I'll post some action updates here.
16 February 2007
07 February 2007
29 December 2006
Woman Accidentally Shoots Self At Gun Range
A woman at a range in Oklahoma City was practicing her shooting, when a hot shell casing fell down the front of her shirt. The Girl can testify to the wisdom of NOT wearing a V-cut shirt to the range. So, she did what anyone would do in her situation:
She jumped as the hot metal touched her skin and reached for her chest. Police said that's when she accidentally shot herself in the leg.Oh, wait - no. That's actually the wrong thing to do, huh? Of course, the range owner was quick to point out that this sort of thing was pretty mundane:
"Of course, we train for this, but unbeknownst to us, we had a gentlemen on the range who was a trained EMT. (He) took care of it immediately, and even though it was a shooting, it was actually very minimal," said H&H Gun Range owner Miles Hall.Yeah, and he doesn't want to be sued more than anything else. Just a minor shooting, nothing to see here, move along...
Hall said the woman was embarrassed more than anything else.
28 December 2006
Santa Brought Me Bullets!
These are some rounds I made with the .40 180g Hornady Action Pistol bullets (also pictured) that Santa brought. They're over 4.3g of TiteGroup, and using Federal small pistol primers in recovered brass/nickel, with an overall length of 1.135". I understand these bullets were very popular with the USPSA crowd until some competitors came along (Zero, Precision Delta, etc.). The HAP bullets cost $101/1000 rounds, whereas the Zero and company come in around $80-85/1000. I got gift certificates to Midway USA, so I decided to try the HAP. It's a nice jacketed hollow point, without the expansion cannelures that many of the other (similar) bullets have. They claim that expansion is pretty silly on cardboard, and this makes them more accurate. Whatever - as long as I can make holes in the targets. I also like that there's no lead exposed on the base - it's fully jacketed, which means less lead and smoke.I'll be trying these out on Saturday at our match, and I'll follow back with a report.
27 December 2006
19 December 2006
You want shooting video? Here ya go.
YouTube is pissing me off. So here's some shooting video I stored over at Viddler.
Okay - now Viddler's about to get fired. To see the videos, use the link above. Sheesh...technology.
Okay - now Viddler's about to get fired. To see the videos, use the link above. Sheesh...technology.
18 December 2006
Nice antlers!
Here's the Trixonator shooting her (LOUD) open gun on a field course this weekend.
Nice holiday touch, by the way...
DFW gun show calendar
If you're like me, you're always wondering when the next gun show's going to be. This handy little site has what looks like a pretty complete calendar of local DFW shows...
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Weekend shooting
Here's a quicky little stage from our DAPS match at Elm Fork yesterday. Good stage for me, Limited stage win, taking down a couple of GMs and one M class shooter...
15 December 2006
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